Dozens of pro-Palestine protesters marched outside the Los Angeles premiere for Scream 7 on Wednesday night.
Some demonstrators could be seen waving Palestinian flags, while others were holding signs that read “Cancel Paramount+” and “Stand For Free Speech Boycott Scream 7.” The group could also be heard chanting “Boycott Scream 7” and “Free, free, free Palestine,” while some played drums and trumpets.
The premiere took place at the Paramount Studios lot; however, the protests could only be faintly heard from the red carpet, where the film’s stars, like Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox, were posing for photos.
When director Kevin Williamson was asked about the protest at the premiere, he told The Hollywood Reporter, “I saw them and my heart just sort of stopped. Look, we live in America. Everyone has a right to protest and everyone should be heard. And if you have your truth and if you want to stand up and be heard, you protest. That is your right in this country, and I stand by it. I support that 100 percent.”
The protest, which was led by Entertainment Labor for Palestine, CODEPINK LA and Jewish Voice for Peace-Los Angeles, aimed to call “attention to the industry’s widespread silencing of pro-Palestinian voices and its whitewashing of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza,” according to a news release from CODEPINK LA.
More specifically, the protest was also in response to Melissa Barrera‘s firing from Scream 7 in November 2023 after she expressed support for Palestine on her social media after Hamas invaded Israel in October 2023.
Spyglass Media Group, the company behind theScreamfranchise, said in a statement at the time, “Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”
The CODEPINK LA news release added that the protest was to “raise awareness about theBoycottScream 7campaign and urge audiences to refrain from supporting the film,” which releases on Feb. 27.
“We believe that Melissa Barrera is a part of theScreamcommunity and that it’s our responsibility to speak out when a member of our community has been harmed,” BoycottScream 7organizer and longtime fan, Nino Testa, shared in a statement. “We refuse to let the franchise we love be used as propaganda for a genocide. We reject Hollywood’s racist blacklisting and censorship of any person who advocates for a free Palestine.”
THR has reached out to Paramount and Spyglass for comment, but did not hear back at the time of publication.